By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
Three straight playoff appearances. Two trips to the second round and with home playoff games. Sure, a lot of schools can make that claim. It’s a reasonable goal.
But for Huntington, it’s a little bit more than that.
“It’s taken us a while to build towards that,” said head coach Stephen Dennis. “When we look back and see where we have come from and where we are going, it’s something we are really proud of. That produces expectations.”
For the Raiders, these are expectations that they have set, even with the loss of a large group of starters from a year ago.
Dennis, in his sixth year as head coach of the Raiders, took over a program in 2017 that was 3-17 in the previous two seasons. He believes that part of the growth of the program has been the ability to learn on the job.
“One thing I learned pretty quick is that we had to do what it took to make Huntington successful,” he said. “We had to make the blueprint fit what Huntington needed. You couldn’t necessarily use the blueprint that worked at another school. That’s why we are able to meet the needs of our student-athletes as best we can and that is one of the major reasons for our success.”
It’s also nice to have a blueprint that has Kamron Evans in it. The senior quarterback is coming off a season in which he threw for 3,630 yards with 44 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Evans will attract a lot of attention during the season – both the high school season and recruiting season.
“Last year, he was the new kid who was waiting in the wings and now he’s the one who everybody is looking at,” Dennis said. “We are replacing a ton of skill players and we have some good ones coming up, so we are going to really lean on his experience and leadership to get those guys through playing their first varsity football games.”
Dennis expects to use a number of running backs, featuring senior Jamarion Mims, junior John Solomon (5-9, 171) and sophomore Nyles Hullaby. Mims moves back to offense from defensive back. Solomon started the playoff games last year as an injury replacement. Hullaby will be used as a power back.
At receiver, Huntington will need to replace three three-year starters, but Dennis is counting on a “very talented group of sophomores” to take their place. The group is led by Jarvis Davis “who is going to take a lot of people by surprise,” Dennis says. Senior Demarion Carter (5-6, 145) also brings some experience to the position.
On defense, Dennis is looking for the team speed to be a difference maker. “The speed on that side of the ball is very impressive,” he says.
Defensive end Nehemiah Barrett (6-2, 225) has moved over from offense and Dennis said, “I’m telling you he’s going to be an issue (for offenses) because he has the speed and the size.”
Senior nose tackle Brian Rodriguez (5-11, 268), who started as a freshman, and Jalen Butler will also anchor the defensive line.
Dylan Holmes headlines the linebacker corps and in the defensive backfield, Kamar Lewis (5-11, 158) plays a hybrid role at safety. “He has the ability to play in the box and also cover the field; that’s hard to find in high school,” Dennis said.
Also in the backfield is sophomore Tyler Welch (6-2, 185), who is returning as a cornerback and had two interceptions in the playoffs.
The Raiders will open against Mansfield in the Battle on the Border and will play Byrd in Week 2, Class 4A semifinalist Neville in Week 3, before beginning the District 1-4A season against pre-season favorite Northwood.
“We will be successful if we take care of the little things,” Dennis said. “Every day. One week at a time. I really believe in that.”
Contact J.J. at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
